Cost of living comparison
Laos is 2.1 times more expensive than Malawi.
If you lived in Laos instead of Malawi, you would:
pay 29.6% less for restaurants
|
Malawi
|
Laos
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$4.32
MWK7,464.37
|
$1.90
LAK41,360
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$9.04
MWK15,620.43
|
$4.20
LAK91,664
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$0.87
MWK1,505.93
|
$0.69
LAK15,052
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$0.43
MWK747.65
|
$0.49
LAK10,586
|
|
pay 22.7% more for groceries
|
Malawi
|
Laos
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$1.36
MWK2,357.22
|
$1.00
LAK21,852
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$4.82
MWK8,322.35
|
$13.03
LAK284,101
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$4.51
MWK7,795.72
|
$6.40
LAK139,539
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$2.31
MWK3,983.69
|
$2.06
LAK45,016
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$1.93
MWK3,325.99
|
$2.07
LAK45,131
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.03
MWK1,787.23
|
$0.75
LAK16,244
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.81
MWK1,398.44
|
$0.74
LAK16,172
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.12
MWK1,932.24
|
$0.96
LAK20,871
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$0.53
MWK910.43
|
$1.29
LAK28,106
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.72
MWK1,243.02
|
$0.70
LAK15,153
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$0.59
MWK1,012.62
|
$0.45
LAK9,856
|
|
pay 3.6 times more for transportation
|
Malawi
|
Laos
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$6.19
MWK10,687.76
|
$4.61
LAK100,404
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$4.32
MWK7,464.11
|
$53.85
LAK1,174,010
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$35,669.17
MWK61,601,594.06
|
$28,167.89
LAK614,073,762
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$20.40
MWK35,235.38
|
$10.57
LAK230,508
|
|
pay 3.6 times more for housing
|
Malawi
|
Laos
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$186.12
MWK321,442.48
|
$8.98
LAK195,845
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$202.19
MWK349,180.46
|
$993.83
LAK21,665,935
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$98.76
MWK170,566.13
|
$809.30
LAK17,643,214
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$41.29
MWK71,301.88
|
$58.85
LAK1,282,861
|
|
pay 3.5 times more for childcare
|
Malawi
|
Laos
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$354.75
MWK612,669.34
|
$291.32
LAK6,351,018
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$1,467.81
MWK2,534,946.69
|
$9,140.14
LAK199,259,614
|
|
pay 5.7% less for entertainment and sports
|
Malawi
|
Laos
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$1.12
MWK1,933.29
|
$1.11
LAK24,110
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$2.91
MWK5,030.70
|
$1.62
LAK35,295
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$1.59
MWK2,739.99
|
$1.78
LAK38,901
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$51.33
MWK88,653.67
|
$66.31
LAK1,445,630
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$3.95
MWK6,822.72
|
$2.97
LAK64,790
|
|
pay 31.4% more for clothing
|
Malawi
|
Laos
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$45.22
MWK78,103.06
|
$78.60
LAK1,713,481
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$34.94
MWK60,347.48
|
$61.45
LAK1,339,579
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$59.17
MWK102,190.74
|
$65.22
LAK1,421,816
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$70.71
MWK122,109.63
|
$46.67
LAK1,017,429
|
|
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